A tax on items purchased out of state is being promoted by the Saline County Commission. Click to hear KMZU’s Sarah Scott speak with Northern Commissioner Norvelle “Brownie” Brown:

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The county collected the tax until the Missouri Legislature recently ruled it to be unconstitutional. Brown says that decision cost the county an estimated $100,000 in revenue, which is used for county services such as roads, bridges, and courthouse operations. “We’re just trying to recover taxes that we have been collecting for over 50 years,” said Brown. According to a brochure put out by the commission, the purpose of the use tax is to replace “the local sales tax that is lost on goods or materials that purchased out-of-state.” The issue will be on the November 6th ballot.